German Munoz, 26 January 2013

PERSON WHO CALLED THE SESSION:

German Munoz

ATTENDED:

Hannah Silva, David Cottis, Rebecca Gould, another person

REPORT:

-Playwrights feel powerless. You need to get confident enough to form relationships

with other theatremakers.

-We need a place were playwrights can help each other.

-Run workshops there

-A place that does not have an artistic agenda, like theatres do, a place outside

theatres

-Scripttank, groups of writers of theatre/film. They meet forthnightly. For

professionally-minded writers.

-Studio could be a free place for writers groups to meet (Someone felt that they didn't

need help with this, this was already happening anyways)

-A place to commission/fund writer's work. Funding is available a lot more to writers in

Scotland and Wales, less so in England. Studio should be a place that offers funding

to writers, not to organisations with administrators.

-If studio had government funding, it would give it more visibility.

-It could have a library of plays. Public libraries have very small selection of plays,

especially modern plays. Have a non-lending library like the Bush.

-Be a resource for connecting smaller companies/theatres to writers, have them

specify what they are looking for (risk of inundating them with submissions, maybe a

barrier to entry is useful in limiting plays they have to read if no funding for readers is

available).

-Need new models of getting work our there (vs. current unsolicited submissions

process)

-Studio should be a resource for getting work on

-It should provide resources to hold informal readings, for people who don't have

mates in theatre.

-Hold talkbalks, lectures?

-There is a big difference between the amount of new writing available in Scotland vs.

Wales (A lot more in Scotland)\

-Are playwrights contests useful? (Yes, some companies rely on them to scout new

talent)\

-Studio should be a place run by playwrights for playwrights

-Offer a script reading service?

-Writers should self-produce their work and invite theatres, more productive than

waiting to hear back from unsolicited submissions. Studio could help with this.

-Some plays are harder to read/interpret on the written page, you need to see them.

Studio should embrace different types of plays/writing styles.

-How many writers (relationships with theatres) come out of the unsolicited

submissions process (vs. how many plays get produced)

-Mid-career playwrights struggle, Studio could support them.

-Studio could organise chats with established playwrights.

-There are other avenues for career models (see National Theatre of Wales, working

in schools). NTW submission policy is very straightforward and HONEST. Other

theatres should follow suit. Be honest about why you don't want to do a play.

-Writersnet is gone. We can't recreate it. Shouldn't recreate Scottish model (or should

we?). Just because something failed in the past doesn't mean it was a bad idea.

-Epowering writers not to depend on theatres tio get their work on.

-Is there a way to attract actors to new writing and read plays (should they be paid?

Funding application needed)

–> Approach drama schools. They can supply readers, or playwrights can also write

specifically for them (paid comissions). Like RADA or East15.

Tags:

Studio, scotland, Writers, writers, studio, playwrights, Scotland